Welcome

Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

Hey Zeb,It is probably a combination of things. It is true, when you are adherent to your meds, see your doc regularly, have regular checks and labs, you could live to be old, or even ancient like me.

But the fact is, HIV takes it toll. Left untreated for too long, it is difficult to rebuild the body's immune system. Then, when you do, you can get sick because the body can now fight the diseases that were living in it that it was too weak to fight before. This is called Immune Reconstitution Syndrome.

Also, the meds we take are hard on the body. They all can cause side effects. In the long term, some can cause anemia, bone loss, bone marrow damage, liver damage, kidney problems, cholesterol and blood lipid problems that cause stroke, heart attack and death, and the list goes on.

Then, there are many people who simply can't be adherent with the meds. Even taking just one pill a day is too much for them to handle.So, they develop resistance and the docs have to find other meds to replace those they are resistant too.

Another issue is mental health. People who are chronically depressed or suffer from a behavioral malady of some sort often aren't adherent and cannot be, simply because their mental state wont allow them.

Lastly, at least for this post, there is coinfection. Many people have other health problems aside from HIV. Some have Hep c, which can be very hard to manage and can greatly affect the outcome of treatment of HIV and improving overall immune system health. Some are diabetic, or have cancer, or neurosyphilis, or some other problem.

Unfortunately, it isn't as simply as taking care of your HIV and you will live to be an old man or woman. There are so many other factors that must be considered as well.

Anyway, that could explain why some of the people you have read about have died recently.

Always good to read a vision with experience! Thanks! (In regard to this I also followed your advice you gave me the other day: save money for retirement, like you said: especially property is a good way to save money)

Well I appreciate it a lot that you like to share your view. I mean you've been on this track a long time already. I really see it as an encouragement to stay on top of my health! (I don't drink, don't do drugs and eat healthy! Now I need to quit those 8 cigarettes a day).

Thanks for your reply. Well it's all so new for me, so i'm trying to get used to it. But I hope soon to recover from my grief (hiv is aturningpoint in life!). And yes, I also read a lot on the body. More and more these docs expect us to die of non hiv related illnesses. (what an outlook )